


All I want for Christmas is You!

by 1The_Quiet_Samurai1



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Child Abandonment, Christmas, Fluff, Loneliness, M/M, Possible triggers not sure, Set in between Swan Song and Glee Actually, Takes place one week after Swan Song, kind of, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-07 19:39:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8813674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1The_Quiet_Samurai1/pseuds/1The_Quiet_Samurai1
Summary: One lonely soul finds another, and fate takes over from there... (Cheesy title, yes. I couldn't think of anything else. As for the pairing...These two need a happy ending okay?)





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've been into fan fiction for about three years now, and I've realized that I've never done a Christmas fic. So, here ya go.  
> It was going to be a one-shot but I extended it when I realized- holy shit, I've written sixteen pages! So, yeah. It'll be short though, like two or three chapters. I'm not sure yet. Chapter two will be up soon I hope!
> 
> I have this headcannon for Sebastian that transforming from "bad guy" to "good guy" wasn't as easy as they made it appear in the show. I like to think that he'd had a really hard time with that. I feel like they totally could have developed his character a lot more than they did. (Also Tina would have still hated him because of her crush on Blaine. Yup, that would have happened.) My headcannon for Ryder is that he probably didn't have that many (if any) friends until glee, and had a somewhat crappy childhood. I also feel like Ryder would be the kind that blushed easily. To me he just has that personality. ;)

Ryder shivered in the cold as the snow fell when it happened. It was a usual Friday afternoon in December and he was walking home from the Lima Bean where he was doing some homework. He was usually at the library, but he needed a warm drink. It was _freezing_. The wind- the wind was hell. He was just walking home now and he was almost home. (Walking _into_ the wind. Ugh. Winter sucks.)

Okay so, it was really about three blocks away from his house when it happened. But _details_. He was walking past an ally when he noticed him. Just sitting there, leaning against a dumpster. In a Dalton Academy uniform, but the jacket was missing. Ryder walked up to him and realized that he wasn’t just sitting there, he was knocked out cold (no pun intended.) The boy was beginning to sport some pretty nasty bruises on his arms, neck and face. He got beat up. He was shivering which was no surprise, but it still bothered Ryder. He checked for his pulse- just in case- it was still there. Ryder took off his jacket and (carefully, he didn’t know if any bones had been broken,) put it on the other boy. As gently as he could, he lifted him up in his arms.

Getting a closer look, Ryder realized that this boy was Sebastian Smythe. AKA the guy that messed with Blaine and his boyfriend Kurt. The one that nearly blinded Blaine. Among other stuff. Sure those were pretty bad things, but he didn’t deserve _this_. Getting beat up then left in the cold to freeze. Who knows when he’ll wake up? Who knows how long it would have been before someone found him if Ryder hadn’t? There were so many “what if’s” but Ryder couldn’t dwell on those, he needed to get Sebastian to his house and fix him up.

There were a few things that didn’t sit well with him. One, why would anyone steal the jacket of a school uniform? Two, why did they beat him up and do it in the first place (although, to be fair there are a few assumptions he could make, but he didn’t want to settle on those just yet.) Three, how come the older New Directions members still talked bad about him if Blaine said he turned over a new leaf? Yes, what he did was bad, but if he realized that he was in the wrong isn’t that enough for a second chance? The New Directions were all about second chances. Blaine appeared to be giving him another chance. So why did the others still have sticks up their butts?

Ryder always had a feeling that there was more to Sebastian than meets the eye. Well hey, there usually is with people in general.

Okay… he had an answer for one of the glee club members.

Tina has developed a weird crush on Blaine- who is gay- so he can see why she’s still upset. That’s obvious. But _still_. _Blaine_ himself has forgiven the former bully. Guess she can’t see that though. Maybe her crush is blinding her.

Truth be told, every time one of them bad mouths Sebastian, Ryder feels bad for him. Like, it’s been what, a year? Get over it. He’s thought about saying something each time, but what stopped him was the fact that he himself didn’t really know Sebastian. And he wasn’t there for all the stuff he and the New Directions got into. They’d probably shut him down with that and Ryder would end up feeling guilty or something. Like he just supported the enemy.

New Directions, while being supportive of outcasts and all that, was pretty messed up. There’s new drama almost every week- which, he’ll admit, is sometimes entertaining. You know, when _he’s_ not involved. And when it's not as serious as say, an eating disorder. He’s almost pretty sure that Kitty has been brainwashing Marley into bulimia. There’s just, _always_ something.

But anyway, guess he can’t really think about _that_ right now.

Ryder entered his house and carried Sebastian up the stairs. No way was he going to put him on the couch. He needed a bed. They didn’t have a guest room so Ryder’s bed would have to do for now. He technically _could_ use his parent’s room, since they were practically never home. But they could return any moment so he couldn’t risk it.

Ryder’s dad was a business man and worked long hours. He put the business first instead of his only son, or mother. But that didn’t seem to annoy his mother. She also worked long hours, and often travels the world. Either she’s working and saving up money, or she’s out in the world somewhere. Ryder never really knew where.

Neither of them give him updates on how things are going. He doesn’t even know if they’ve ever come _home_. It makes Ryder think that maybe they just don’t actually _care_ about their only son who’s going to be graduating soon-

Well. Hopefully graduating.

Dyslexia was giving him a hard time. “Hard” was putting it lightly. Yes, he’d been seeing a doctor, but it wasn’t doing much for him. He felt like he was still in the same place as before.

Ryder sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t think about that. About any of that. It’d just get him down, and he needed to help Sebastian ASAP.

Okay.

He carefully took his winter jacket off of Sebastian and tossed it off to the side. His face seemed to be okay other than the bruises on his eye and chin. But there were small bruises on his neck like someone had tried to choke him. Harsh. He knew Lima wasn’t that great a place, especially for “different” people, like gays, bisexuals, transgender and just _different_ people. It was frustrating as hell!

Ryder reached to unbutton Sebastian’s shirt when he suddenly felt insecure and cautious. He remembered Blaine briefly telling them how he _kind of_ felt violated after Tina gave him vapour rub after he fell asleep. He couldn’t stay mad at her though since they were pretty much best friends. But it made Ryder debate like mad about whether or not he should check on possible injuries that were hidden by the shirt.

Finally he convinced himself that “being sick is different than being injured” and unbuttoned the shirt. He flinched at the sight.

Multiple bruises and cuts ran down his chest, he could only imagine what his back looked like. Nothing looked swollen so he figured that meant no broken bones- but he couldn’t be sure about his ribcage. He seemed fine though.

Ryder himself actually had a pretty bad injury from falling off the merry-go-round at the primary school he went to. He landed awkwardly and _hard,_ and to top it off, another student had landed on top of him and actually cracked his ribcage. It was a complete accident so he couldn’t blame anyone but himself for not hanging on tight enough. Basically- he knows what it’s like.

The playground can be totally unforgiving sometimes.

Ryder ever so gently took Sebastian’s shirt off. He began to tend to the cuts. Most of them weren’t that deep, but they would sting for a while. There were a few that were a bit deeper, and each cut had stained the inside of the shirt. It was mostly bruises though. Big, _dark_ and a few looked like shoe prints. Yikes.

He briefly thought about taking off his pants and checking his legs but _hello_ \- _THAT_ would be a violation of privacy!

Ryder shook his head again and concentrated on fixing Sebastian.

Finally he was finished, and sighed. It had been about an hour, and Sebastian still hadn’t woken up. He hoped that didn’t mean he have any brain damage, or skull damage.

So…

Now what?

***

Sometime later, Ryder woke up with a start and banged his head against the leg of his desk. What? Oh. Yeah. He was doing homework on the floor and leaning against the desk- it was currently being used as a book shelf for his text books. He was going to take a short nap, and that apparently turned into sleep. Oops. But what woke him up?

“Ugh… what…” Another voice…

Sebastian!

He kind of felt guilty for forgetting about him, even if it was only for a few seconds. The guy was greatly injured here.

“You’re up, that’s good!” Ryder said with a smile, still sitting on the floor. He figured that’d be less intimidating. Sebastian groaned and rubbed his forehead.

“Ugh… where am I?”

“My house- uh- I’m Ryder.” He felt stupid for not thinking that he clearly wouldn’t know _whose_ house he was in. Duh. Then again, Sebastian probably doesn’t even know who _Ryder_ is. He’d only really conversed with the older New Directions. Not really any of the newbies.

“Ryder who?” Sebastian now looked at him, and seemed more awake. His voice was a little rough, but Ryder expected that. “I usually _meet_ the guy first before getting into their bed. But I mean, if they’re gonna be _this_ hot maybe I should reconsider.”

Ryder let out a chuckle and stood up. “Uh, well, I’m flattered, and am glad that you feel that way because you’re probably going to stay here for the weekend. How are you feeling?”

Sebastian sighed and sank back into the pillow. “Like Hell gobbled me up, then spat me out and ran over me with an eighteen wheeler. _Twice_.”

“Colourful.”

“Yeah like my body… ugh. Wait,” Sebastian looked at him more closely, “aren’t you with the New Directions?”

“Yeah.”

“Then… why are you helping me?”

Huh. He honestly seemed confused. Sure maybe he can understand why but… it made Ryder feel sad.

“Why not? I couldn’t just let you freeze to death in the snow next to a dumpster. By the way, do you remember what happened?”

Sebastian blinked a few times, processing that he’d just said, and looked away. “Uh, no not really. It’s all a blur. It happened so fast. I was just walking and they got me. I don’t even know who they were, probably some kind of gang. Or a group against gay people. I don’t know.” he said tiredly.

“Uh, do you need anything, like water or-”

“Water would be great, thanks.”

Ryder nodded and got the water.

“I still don’t get why they’d take your jacket. It’s part of a school uniform what good would it do them?” he asked. Sebastian shrugged- well, tried to shrug anyway it looked painful. He’d taken the pain meds Ryder had brought earlier, so it probably didn’t hurt as badly as it would without them.

“It doesn’t even have pockets, well, not _useful_ ones anyway…”

A silence washed over them, but it weirdly enough wasn’t uncomfortable. Ryder kept thinking about all the things the older New Direction members- except Blaine- kept saying about Sebastian. It just… didn’t seem to match up with anything. At least, now anyway. In the past, sure, maybe. But clearly he’s changed a bit since then. He hasn’t insulted Ryder in anyway- yes he was flirtatious- but that was his personality. He probably flirted with every guy he thinks is attractive. He hasn’t even made fun of the New Directions. Or the fact that Ryder was in it. He really seems to have changed, why-

“Um, what time is it?” Sebastian asked, bringing Ryder out of his thoughts.

“Oh uh,” he checked his phone, “almost nine-thirty, wow. Oh. Do you want any food or something, I forgot about dinner. I can make something, or we can just order?”

“Uh, let’s just order something. It’s late and I don’t wanna make you go through all of that. I’m craving pizza.”

Ryder chuckled. “Alright then, pizza it is. You have any preferences?”

“Yeah. No olives.”

“What? Why? They’re the best thing about pizza! Well, okay. The cheese is the best, but they’re the second best.”

“How can you say that? They’re tasteless, bitter, and gross!”

“If they’re tasteless how can you tell if they’re bitter and gross?”

“Oh shut up, they just are. Oh, and extra cheese.”

“Always, the more cheese the better!”

“One more thing.”

Ryder glanced up at him from his phone.

“You know that the books are supposed to be in the bookcase, and the homework on the desk right?” Sebastian said smugly referring to the pile of books on the desk, the empty bookcase, and the work on the floor. Ryder scoffed.

“Don’t make fun of my work ethics. I’m buying you pizza, I can make them only put extra cheese on mine.”

Sebastian gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

“I’m the one with the phone.”

“I have a phone!”

“Where is it?”

There’s a silent pause.

“At Dalton. Charging. Shit I’m gonna be stuck here all weekend without my phone! This sucks!”

Ryder paused just before dialling. “You have multiple bruises and _that_ is what sucks?”

“Have you _ever_ been without your phone for more than necessary?”

“Hm, okay fine. But you’ll just have to find other ways to entertain yourself.” Sebastian’s eyebrow raised up in a suggestive manner. “Not that!” Ryder found himself blushing, and Sebastian started laughing.

“You said it. You should see your face though!”

“Shut up!” Ryder’s voiced cracked, causing more laughter from Sebastian and more redness to appear in his cheeks. He dialled up the pizza place and ordered. He pointedly ignored the way his heart beat sped up.

“Okay I have a question.” Sebastian said as Ryder put his phone down and sat in the desk chair.

“Shoot.”

“Why am I in your bed?”

Ryder shrugged. “We don’t have a guest room and I’m not making you sleep on the couch. The thing is crap. Which is weird because I think it’s the more expensive kind… I don’t understand my parents.”

“I don’t mind I can-”

“Dude I’m serious, injuries like this need a _bed_ , the couch would just mess you up even more. I can take the couch.”

“But-”

“Am I going to have to barricade the door? Sebastian it’s fine. You need the rest more than I do. Besides I just woke up from a three hour nap while leaning against my _desk_. I’m not falling asleep anytime soon, and I’m pretty sure I can take that couch.”

Sebastian sighed in defeat. “If you say so… Wait. Do you usually take three hour naps?”

“Uh, no. It wasn’t meant to be three hours. Guess I was tired. It’s been a long week.” Ryder sighed and leaned back in the chair.

“Oh yeah, Blaine mentioned there being drama like, every single week. How do you deal with that?”

“Well, most of the time I’m not involved thank _gosh_ for that. Sometimes it’s actually pretty entertaining, but mostly it’s just pointless and annoying. Like _why_ did that have to happen?”

“In some ways you’re lucky, the Warblers _never_ have anything happening aside from practice. When we’re not practicing it’s pretty boring.”

“You guys are much more organized than we are though. We tend to just… go with the flow most of the time. Once we have our songs picked we’re a little better- depending on what drama is playing out that week.”

They continued talking for a few more hours, and ate pizza. Time seemed to go by slowly though. Ryder learned more about Sebastian than any of the other New Direction member probably had. Including Blaine.

Sebastian came from a rich family, well, a rich father. He’s an only child, and never met his mother. He tried to find out who she was when he was a kid, but gave up after a few years. He played lacrosse, and even lived in Paris for a short time. But that didn’t make him fluent in French.

They either talked about themselves, or random stuff that came to mind. After what seemed to be forever, Ryder was asking a question when he noticed that Sebastian had fallen asleep. He glanced at his phone and realized that- holy shit- it was almost _four_ in the morning! Ryder suddenly yawned and realized how exhausted he was. Good thing tomorrow- er- _today_ \- is Saturday.

He stood up and stretched, and pulled the comforter up so that it covered most of Sebastian’s body. He left his homework where it was, figuring he’d deal with it later that day. He set out some of his clothes for Sebastian to wear, and got ready for the night.

***

Ryder woke up hours later in a slight daze. There was the smell of… bacon in the air. He checked his phone and saw that it was almost twelve. Well, he was well rested. He got up and walked into the kitchen to see Sebastian cooking bacon. There were two plates with omelets on them sitting on the table. One had an olive placed in the middle of the omelet while the other one didn’t. Hm.

“I knew the smell of bacon would wake you up.” Sebastian said, glancing behind him, smirking. “You seemed like a bacon person.”

“More than what, a coffee person? And I take it that mine is the one with the suspiciously placed olive in the middle, right?”

“Shut up, and yes. There aren’t any olives _in_ it bu-”

“Awe.”

“ _But_ , there’s that. Plus bacon.” Sebastian put the plate of bacon in between the omelets.

“You sure you should be cooking?” Sebastian snorted.

“It’s a little late for that. Just eat it, you’re practically staring at the bacon. But I will say that I am feeling better, whatever you did is doing the trick.”

“That’s good, just some life hacks I learned via internet.”

“Just wish they’d fade faster. My face is probably gonna look like this for days.”

“Yeah sorry, I couldn’t find any hacks for that. Unless you want to wear make-up.”

“Yeah no thanks. I’m gay but I’m not _that_ gay, nor am I that desperate to hide it. I’m not really a concern to anyone in Westerville anyway- um-” Sebastian obviously hadn’t meant to say that last part. But it had Ryder concerned.

“What about the Warblers? Wouldn’t they have changed their tune when you turned it over? Uh, no pun intended.” he asked cautiously. This was obviously a touchy subject. He had to tread carefully. They hadn’t talked about this last night. Sebastian frowned and didn’t look at him.

“They…” he hesitated, “They haven’t spoken to me since… well.”

Now Ryder frowned. But something occurred to him. “They haven’t spoken to you, or you haven’t spoken to them?” he asked softly. At this, Sebastian looked up at him in a questioning manner. “Well, I mean, like- the Warblers seem like nice guys. Yeah, what you did was pretty bad, but it’s been a while. I’ll bet some of them have gotten over it. What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid!” Sebastian shouted. His sudden outburst made Ryder jump a bit. Maybe he stepped over a line. He’s not really _good_ at talking to people. He’s barely been around them to know what to do. But he’s learned a lot just by being in the glee club. Okay… he’s mostly learned what _not_ to do from being in the glee club…

Sebastian closed his eyes for a second and sighed. For a few seconds he looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words.

“When- when your dad’s a big state attorney… nobody really sees you.”

“They see him instead.”

Sebastian nodded. “I tried _so hard_ to _not_ become him that… I guess I became him anyway. Someone to fear. My dad, he’s big on appearances. Whenever I was around him I couldn’t… I had to be just like him. Even at home. He’d never pay attention to me unless I put on an act. So I just got used to acting all the time.”

“What about your mom?”

“I never knew her. I gave up trying to find her years ago.” Ryder nodded, understanding. “I guess… I don’t know. I forgot how to… act normal?”

“You acted normal with me.” Ryder said. Sebastian gave him a look of confusion. “Yeah, I mean, none of this had been an act of any kind. I know it. _And_ , I know that you’ve changed since, well.” He didn’t need to finish that. They understood. “You’ve not once said anything insulting, or rude. You were just- _you_.” Ryder reached for his hand on the table. “And, maybe if you be you with the others they’ll accept you.” He gently squeezed Sebastian’s hand and the other boy looked away and frowned.

“I-I don’t know if I can. And what makes you so sure I’ve changed?” Sebastian removed his hand from Ryder’s making him frown and miss the warmth, “We’re not even really friends…” Sebastian finished quietly. Ryder smiled.

“I know your middle name, the fact that you once had a fish, _and_ had three invisible friends as a kid named Jasper, Madeline, and Liam. I even know what makes you _tick_. I know you regret making fun of Dave that night,” He noticed Sebastian flinched and grabbed his hand again, “and that you’re over Blaine. You know my darkest secret, and many others. You know what makes _me_ tick. You understand me in ways that others don’t. I’m _pretty sure_ we’re friends. But you don’t have to do anything just yet. For now it can just be the two of us.”

Ryder found himself blushing a bit at the look Sebastian was giving him. His heart beat nervously as he waited for Sebastian to say something.

“I-I’ve never had a close friend before.” he finally mumbled.

“Neither have I. But I trust you. And you can trust me. I think we’d be great together. I’m willing to give this a shot.” Ryder smiled, and they stared at each other for what seemed to be forever. Sebastian seemed to be searching for something as he stared.

“Yeah, me too.”

They smiled, and suddenly Ryder’s stomach gave a loud growl causing both of them to jump slightly. Sebastian laughed as Ryder’s blush deepened as he smiled sheepishly.

“I think you’re hungry.” Sebastian laughed.

“Shut up!” Ryder’s voice cracked again, causing Sebastian to laugh more, and Ryder to blush more. _Damn puberty!_

They ate their breakfast in a comfortable silence.

“I think that since you shouldn’t move _too_ much, video games aren’t a great idea. So how about we have a movie marathon instead?” Ryder asked as they headed back into his room. He gathered up his homework that he left on the floor the night before, and put it on top of the books on the desk. He looked up when Sebastian didn’t say anything. “Sebastian?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just… you probably had other plans-” Ryder stopped him before he could continue.

“Dude, it’s okay. I don’t mind. Besides, I seriously did _not_ have any plans this weekend. It’s one of those weekends where everyone is doing their own thing. And my thing turned out to be taking care of you, so come on. I’ve got Netflix, we can make fun of every bad movie ever made. Or watch actual _good_ movies.” Ryder laughed and hopped onto his bed. It wasn’t a big bed, but despite Ryder being bulky, Sebastian was skinny so they made it work.

They ended up binge watching _Supernatural_ because Sebastian had apparently never seen it. There was a reason though. He hated anything related to horror. Ryder had joked about “protecting him from evil” and put his arm around the other boy as he jumped at the first jump scare. Halfway through season one though, Ryder found that he was watching Sebastian more than the show. He was just so… _expressive_. In many ways it was much more entertaining than the show. Which is a lot to say considering how entertaining _Supernatural_ actually is. Ryder couldn’t help but smile as Sebastian inched closer with each jump scare. He knew he got Sebastian hooked on the show though. Despite the jump scares in the first season.

“Okay, I’ll admit- they’re all really hot.” Sebastian commented halfway through season two. That caught Ryder off guard for some reason, and he let out a surprised laugh.

“What, even Bobby and Ruby?”

Sebastian snorted. “Okay, Bobby’s attractive in _certain_ ways, but he’s definitely not the Winchesters. I mean come on, Sam is like the Captain America of the supernatural world. He’s even got powers. And sure. Ruby's hot for a chick, but I still wouldn't have sex with her.”

“I guess I know who your favourite is.” Ryder laughed. Sebastian smirked, and Ryder ignored the way his heart beat sped up again.

“Seriously man, you can’t tell me you _haven’t_ thought about having sex with him. Just because you’re straight doesn’t mean squat when it comes to celebrities.”

Ryder felt his face heat up because- sure. Yeah. Okay. He _has_ thought about it. _Multiple_ times before. And sure. _Maybe_ he had a brief celebrity crush on Chris Evans- but who _hasn’t_? Besides, it was mostly just celebrities so he took it as Sebastian said. Everyone has the hots for certain celebrities no matter who they are.

“Dude, you’re blushing. I knew it!”

“Okay- fine! I have!” Ryder stuttered out as his blush deepened having been caught. Sebastian laughed and Ryder couldn’t help but stare.

“Man, it’s so easy to make you blush!”

Ryder let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Oh shut up and stare at hot guys on the show!”

They watched the show well into the night, and eventually Ryder realized that they were beginning to nod off. He also realized that he was using Sebastian’s head as a pillow. Well, part of it anyway. But it was surprisingly comfortable.

“Okay,” Sebastian sighed contently, “as much as I’d like to, I can’t keep myself awake any longer.” He glanced up when Ryder only hummed in response. “Ryder?”

“But I’m comfortable, and you’re warm. I don’t wanna move.” Ryder sighed. He opened his eyes for a brief moment and smiled. “Besides, you’re not exactly moving either.”

“You basically have me in a choke hold.”

“You play lacrosse. I’m pretty sure you can take me. It’s worse than football, believe me.”

“Oh, I believe it. I wasn’t doubting that. I’m just covered in bruises remember? Awe man, I probably won’t be able to play for at least a week!”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine Sebastian. So they’ll be down one member. They’re probably down one member at least once a week right?”

“Shut up. And I’m co-captain! They _need_ me!”

“If you’re _co_ -captain that means that there’s another captain. Plus, they probably have backups. They can’t be _that_ bad without you.”

“They might as well be.”

“Hey, what are your plans for Christmas?” Sebastian moved his head and looked up at him curiously at the sudden change of topic.

“I don’t usually celebrate, why?”

Ryder took a deep breath, which had Sebastian even more curious. “I don’t usually either, but I- I feel like this year we should. T-together.” Sebastian didn’t say anything and Ryder felt nervous as the other stared at him. He couldn’t read his expression. “I-I just think that we-we were brought together for a reason, and-and we wouldn’t be alone again. We wouldn’t have to do anything too big. We d-don’t even have to get each other anything! I-I just- we could- I-” Ryder suddenly stopped rambling when Sebastian cupped the side of his face, making him blush.

“Hey,” Sebastian said softly, “I’d like to. I… I’ve been alone for too long. I’m done with that.”

“Me too.” Ryder breathed as Sebastian fell back into the position he was in before. Ryder rested his head on top of Sebastian’s and sighed in relief. Eventually they fell asleep, both too comfortable to move.

The next day was spent mostly watching _Supernatural_. Ryder gave Sebastian his cell number, as Sebastian didn’t have his phone with him. And who really memorizes phone numbers anymore? His bruises looked better already, and he seemed to be feeling better as well. He had to leave that evening though as school started the next day. He still had his car keys thankfully, so they were able to walk to it since it was still parked where it was.

“Um, thanks. For everything. You could have just left me there, but you didn’t. So thank you.” Sebastian said before he got in.

“Yeah, I just… like reminding people that not everyone in this town is full of crap. Just drive safe and text when you get back.” Ryder said with a smile.

“Yes mom. But I should be saying that to you since _you’re_ the one walking back to your place at _night_. Well, it’s basically night anyway. But yeah, I’ll text you when I get back. Don’t get your panties in a twist while waiting okay?”

“Okay! I won’t.” Ryder laughed. He wanted him to stay, but he knew he couldn’t. They both had school the next day. It felt like they both had something more to say, but couldn’t say it. Ryder cleared his throat after a while. “Uh, y-you should get going. Don’t want to get in too late.”

“Right uh… yeah. Thanks- again.” With one last smile, Sebastian climbed into his car.

“Drive safe!” Ryder called even though he'd said it earlier. He just wanted to get one last thing in. It’s not what he _wanted_ to say (not that he even _knew_ what he wanted to say,) but it was good enough. Sebastian stuck his hand out the window and waved to him. He waved back, but with a frown. He already missed Sebastian, and his car wasn’t even out of sight yet. Ryder stayed where he was and watched the car drive until it was out of sight.

He sighed deeply. He was already dreading the next few days. He’d really bonded with Sebastian. It had only been a couple of days, plus a night, but it felt like they’ve known each other since they were kids.

This was special to him. He’d never bonded with anyone like this before. He had to make this last. He couldn’t lose it. Ryder breathed in deeply and let it out. He began the lonely walk home. But he wasn’t sad. Sure, maybe a little, but he was mostly filled with determination. If he was going to keep this friendship with Sebastian, he needed to do a little research on it. He’s never had a close best friend before. So he wasn’t really sure how to go about it. Sure, he and Jake were friends, but they were still kind of new and weren’t that close yet. Weirdly enough not as close as he and Sebastian had become over the weekend.

He shivered in the wind as he walked quickly, eager to get home.

Once he got in, he quickly went upstairs to his bedroom and plopped down onto the bed. He pulled out his phone. It’d been about twenty minutes since Sebastian left, but no text. Sebastian said that Westerville was about thirty minutes away.

Damn. He still had ten minutes…ish. Ugh. Waiting.

But, he got onto his laptop and started doing his research. It briefly made him feel stupid, looking up _friendship_. But he wanted to do this right. Make it last. He knew that Sebastian wanted to do the same. He could tell.

About fifteen minutes later his phone buzzed. Ryder lunged for it, but in his haste he just knocked it off of the bed. Damn clumsiness. He almost knocked his computer off of the bed too. Yikes. He picked up his phone and instantly smiled widely.

Sebastian!

He leaned back into his pillow as he read the text slowly.

 

*****-***-****: Okay _mom_ , I’m home. Happy? Your panties didn’t get twisted did they? – Sebastian.**

 

Ryder quickly saved the number in his phone and began a reply.

 

**Ryder: Ha. Ha. _No_. They’re fine. Now be a good boy and finished that homework you’re supposed to be doing. It’s due tomorrow.**

**Bassy: So you admit that you wear panties. Nice. Bet they look good. They’d show off your body _very_ well. ;) And you’re one to talk! You completely left you homework sitting on your desk full of books. You’re probably not even doing it right now! :P**

 

Ryder blushed a bright red at the thought of Sebastian picturing him in fricking _panties_. Ugh. Why did he do this to himself?

 

**Ryder: Shut up! And besides, _my_ homework isn’t due until Wednesday. But you said yours is due tomorrow. So ha! Get going!**

**Bassy: Ugh, I’m doing it, I’m doing it. (Ha, _doing it_.)**

**Ryder: You’re so immature.**

**Bassy: You’re such a mom. :) I hate chemistry.**

**Ryder: Ugh, me too! It’s the worst!**

 

They continued to text until about one o’clock, in which Sebastian finally made them go to bed. Ryder fell asleep with half made friendship plans in his head.

These next few days were hard like he’d predicted. Not just because of the school work, but Sebastian was all the way in _Westerville_. Sure, it’s only thirty minutes driving, and they’d made plans for the coming weekend, but _ugh_. Ryder had _always_ hated waiting.

Luckily, the glee club hadn’t noticed anything weird until Friday. He wasn’t sure how they’d feel about him hanging out with Sebastian, but most would probably be okay with it. Okay so he was mainly worried about Tina and only a few others. Mainly Tina. She can be meaner than _Kitty_ sometimes. And that’s saying something.

They’d gathered into the choir room like usual for a final bash. Neither Finn nor Mr. Shu were there yet, so they could do whatever for the time being. Ryder took out his phone and began texting Sebastian.

“Okay dude,” Jake said quietly so only he could hear, “who have you been texting all week? You don’t know _that_ many people.”

“Gee thanks.” Ryder put his phone away just as the two instructors walked in, and before Jake saw who it was.

“You know what I mean. But seriously. Who is it? Did you have a side story and meet some girl we don’t know about?” Jake whispered as Finn started talking.

“No, I was talking to my dad.” Ryder lied easily. He hadn’t told any of them about his home life, so they didn’t need to know much. Jake looked like he didn’t really believe him, but he let it go.

“Huh. Okay then.” They payed attention to the front for the rest of the session.

It happened when glee was done, and Mr. Shu and Finn had left early trusting them to lock the door on their way out.

“Oh hey,” Blaine said just before anyone left, “the Warblers are planning a Christmas party, anyone wanna come? Christmas, a party, drinks, music, the whole shebang! Who’s in?” Sam was immediately in, always up for a party. Ryder pulled out his phone when Jake wasn’t looking and texted Sebastian.

 

**Ryder: Hey, Blaine just mentioned a Warbler Christmas party and he’s inviting us, that cool?**

**Bassy: Probably.**

**15 seconds later**

**Bassy: I’m not sure I’m going though.**

“Guys, you in?” Blaine asked the newbies. “Warbler parties are always the best, trust me!”

“Yeah we’re in!” Jake said, he and Marley smiled at each other.

“Unique will be there! I love Christmas parties!” Unique smiled widely. She and Kitty giggled.

“Ryder?”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll be there.” Ryder said as he glanced up.

 

**Ryder: You sure? I’ll be there.**

**Bassy: I don’t know. Homework’s been piling up.**

**Ryder: Seb, please? Even if it’s for a little while. Don’t shut yourself out, it’s not fun. Trust me. If you’re not having fun, then maybe we can sneak off and you can show me around Westerville. :)**

**One Minute Later**

**Bassy: Maybe… I’ll think about it.**

**Ryder: :)**

“Will _he_ be there?” Tina asked, crossing her arms across her chest. Ryder looked up, instantly knowing who she meant. Ugh. He’d hoped all week that they wouldn’t talk trash about him. It had been good up until now. He couldn’t really blame Blaine for bringing up the Warblers, since you know, he was a former Warbler himself. Plus- no one can really stay mad at Blaine. At least not for long.

_Stay calm, don’t do anything stupid._ _Stay calm, don’t do anything stupid_. He repeated that thought over and over in his head.

Blaine sighed. “Tina come on. He’s a Warbler, he will probably be there. But we’ve gone over this, he’s changed.”

This time Tina sighed. “Did Quinn change? Because I remember her reverting back to old ways thanks to _someone_.” she cast a glance at Kitty who glared at her.

“Tina don’t-”

“Don’t what? Don’t tell the truth? Because that’s what happened. People don’t change Blaine, no matter how hard we want to believe. They always revert back to old ways.”

“Tina you don’t even _know_ him!” Ryder snapped.

_So much for staying calm. Just don’t-_

Tina seemed shocked for a second, but covered it up. “What, and you do? You weren’t even _there_.”

_Don’t-_

“I might not have been there, but I know enough to know that he’s changed! _Plus_ , you’re a freaking hypocrite!”

Tina gasped and a few of the others stepped back, including Blaine although he didn’t seem to be surprised. _Huh. Note for later._

“Me.”

“Yes, _you_.” Ryder said harshly. Jake put a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down. It wasn’t exactly working. “ _You_ changed. According to the others, you used to be a quiet, shy stuttering Goth girl! Now you’re basically Rachel.”

“And that’s bad?” Tina shot back.

“No, we’re not saying that’s _bad_. It’s just… well lately you’ve been transforming into the _old_ Rachel. You know, the one we didn’t like.” Artie said calmly.

Tina scoffed.

“Yeah, you’ve been bitchier than _me_ , and _that’s_ saying something.” Kitty said. She had her phone out. Ryder had a feeling that she’s been tweeting this. Or videotaping it. Damn it. They need to keep an eye on her sometimes.

Tina hadn’t said anything, but she seemed to be debating who to be mad at.

“You haven’t been around him since the stuff went down. Maybe dial it back a bit?” Ryder _may_ have said that more harshly than he meant. But nobody insults his friends!

Tina decided to be mad at Ryder. Figures.

“And why are _you_ defending him? It’s not like you two are _buddies_ all of a sudden. You’ve never even-”

“Maybe we are! Yeah maybe I helped him, and we started hanging out. I don’t see what the big deal is Tina. Maybe if you stop letting your crush on Blaine _blind_ you, you’d see that he’s actually not that bad!”

_And so much for not doing anything stupid. Damn it Ryder, you never stick to your plans._

“ _I’m_ blind?!” Tina yelled, “Blaine could _actually_ be blind right now if that slushie _Smythe_ threw at him had done worse damage! That _meerkat_ blackmailed Finn and Rachel-”

“You don’t know how _hard_ he’s trying to change! You don’t even know how alone he’s been since he stepped down!”

“It’s called _acting_! He’s taking advantage of you Ryder! It’s what he _does_!”

“ _No,_ he’s not! Frick. _Blaine_ forgives him, why can’t you?!”

“Guys,” Joe said stepping in between them, (Ryder hadn’t notice how close they had gotten during their argument,) “this isn’t the way to do this! You know that. You need to find common ground before you do or say things you’ll regret!”

Joe was right. As always. Ryder took a deep breath and let it out.

Then he left the room without a word.

He didn’t go home, not yet. He went to the bleachers to clear his mind and cool off. There were no teams on the field, so that meant they were done for the day. So he was alone. Good.

Ryder sighed.

He knew this would’ve happened eventually. It just happened sooner than he would have liked. He probably messed up damn it. He should have stayed calm. He knew he shouldn’t have stayed quiet though. But he totally could have handled that better.

Yeah he f***ed up badly.

_F***._

He was going to reach for his phone but-

“So… that was intense.” Jake’s voice stopped him. He glanced over to see him, Marley, Unique, Kitty and Joe. The others were probably with Tina. Made sense. The small group gathered around him on the bleachers. Ryder didn’t say anything. He didn’t feel like talking, he wanted to be alone. Or with Sebastian. Okay, he’d actually prefer to be with Sebastian if he had a choice-

“So did you upload that video online for the world to see yet?” Ryder snapped at Kitty. She glanced down with a frown.

“No, I sent it to the Warblers. Well, except for Hunter, he seems sketchy. _Him_ I don’t trust. I figured, if he’s alone as you said he is then maybe they can help. Whatever they do with the video is up to them. Despite what people may think, I believe that people change. And I trust you.”

That last part surprised him. He never thought that Kitty trusted him. Apparently she did. “Um… thanks.” he said quietly, not really sure what else to say.

“We just wanted to make sure that you’re okay. And we’re cool with you two being friends. It shouldn’t matter really. Besides, I’m pretty sure you were right when you called Tina out on her crush on Blaine. The others are talking to her now. I think at this point, the only one that can talk some sense into her is Blaine.” Jake said. Ryder gave a small nod, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t really know how to handle this.

“We were going to hang out at Marley’s place, did you wanna come?” Unique asked cautiously.

“Uh, no. Thanks. I just… I think I need time.” Ryder said with a sigh. The others gave various “okay’s” and gave him some kind of pat as they started to leave.

“Feel better.” Marley said softly. Then Kitty turned around.

“Oh, and when you two get together, we get to know first!” she called. Marley rolled her eyes and dragged her along. Ryder merely stared at them, confused. He sat there for a good few minutes in that position, just, staring into space thinking about what Kitty said. As well as what everyone else said.

“Uh, hey.” he hears a voice that’s obviously Blaine’s and looks over. He thanked whatever gods are up there that it’s just him. But also cursed them because why can’t he be alone?! Blaine walked over and sat beside him. “I just want you to know that I’m not here to criticize your friend choices, as I believe Sebastian has changed. So I’m supportive of you guys. I just wanted to see how you were doing, I mean- you were pretty angry.”

Ryder sighed deeply. “I know… I could have handled that better. I-I’m not very good at talking to people.”

Blaine frowned and chose his next words carefully. “You _both_ could have. Tina… she has been in the background for so long. This year she decided that she was tired of that and wanted to be in the spotlight. I think she let the sudden popularity get to her head, and it’s like Artie said. She became Rachel, but the Rachel we didn’t like. But we talked to her about it, and I think she’s going to try and mellow out.”

“Oh.” Ryder muttered because he didn’t know what to say to that.

“So how did you and Sebastian become friends? You mentioned that you helped him out?”

“Yeah, um- last Friday I found him sitting beside a dumpster in an ally unconscious and beaten up-”

“Oh my gosh!” Ryder nodded.

“I couldn’t just _leave_ him there. So I took him back to my place. When he woke up we just- I don’t know. Clicked. He stayed the weekend and we got to know each other. He really has changed from whatever he was before. I just wanna make this work. I haven’t…” Ryder hesitated, “I haven’t really had a close friend before. I just don’t want to do something stupid and mess this up.”

“Hey, you’re a great friend.” Blaine nudged him gently, “You and the younger New Directions are pretty close.”

“ _After_ I completely screwed things up before.”

“None of that was your fault. Some of it just happened, and other parts were because of the others. Sometimes things happen and there’s really no one to blame like we think.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds.

“Hey uh, one more thing.” Blaine said after a while. Ryder looked at him. “Be careful.” With that said, Blaine smiled and left.

Be careful? Of course he will, didn’t Blaine listen to a word he said? He doesn’t want to hurt Sebastian in any way! Ryder sighed and decided that it was too cold to stay out any longer. He stood up and made his way home.

Once he got there though, he saw Sebastian sitting on the front steps looking at his phone. His face was a bit pink, and his eyes were tinged a light red so Ryder knew the pink in his cheeks wasn’t from the cold.

“Sebastian? What’s wrong?” Ryder asked as he quickly made his way over and sat down beside him. He put his arm around Sebastian and side-hugged him.

“I-I…” Sebastian said shakily. “Someone sent me a video of you arguing with Tina? I don’t know who, the number was blocked.”

“I know who. That was Kitty.” Ryder said nervously. He was scared of Sebastian’s reaction. He _really_ didn’t want to lose him as a friend.

“Did you mean it?” Sebastian’s question caught him off guard.

“Of course. I meant every word. I’m not going to let anyone talk trash about you when they don’t know anything. I care too much about you to let that happen.” Ryder noticed a few tears come down and his hand cupped Sebastian’s cheek and wiped them away. His heart clenched when he saw the sad look in the other boy’s eyes. He vowed that he wouldn’t let anyone ever hurt Sebastian ever again. Ryder stood up and took Sebastian with him. “Come on.” he smiled, “I hear hot chocolate, junk food and video games calling our names.”

Ryder took Sebastian’s hand in his and led him into the house. He vaguely noticed how soft the other’s hand was, and how warm it was. (Even though it’s freezing outside and neither one of them are wearing gloves.) Once they were inside, Sebastian pulled Ryder in for a hug. Ryder hugged him back tightly and rested his head on his shoulder.

_Mm, he smells nice._ Like winter, mint, and cinnamon. Like Christmas.

Christmas, despite not really celebrating it himself, was Ryder’s favourite holiday. He loved the myths, the decorations, the lights, and even the music. He loved the idea of giving gifts even though he never had anyone to do that with. Until now.

Sebastian pulled apart from the hug. “What was that for?” Ryder asked.

“Just… you’re always so sweet. Um… thanks.” Sebastian smiled and Ryder blushed at the compliment. “And now I’ll beat your ass at Mortal Combat.” Sebastian ran for the stairs with a smile on his face.

“Hey! In your dreams!” Ryder smirked and darted after him.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... this escalated quickly.
> 
>  
> 
> But when the story is only three chapters long, it's pointless to do it any other way right?
> 
> ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, it's going to be three chapters. I'm pretty sure anyway... I was going to just continue with chapter two, but I decided, nah. So hopefully the third chapter will be out before Christmas.

It was Saturday night when Sebastian got the idea of going to Scandals for dinner. Ryder was painfully obviously new to the whole bar scene. Let alone a gay bar. He knew Sebastian had been hesitant when he dropped the idea. What with Sebastian being gay and Ryder, who was, well, probably _not_ gay or bi. But Ryder decided to go. Might be fun. Somehow Sebastian had managed to get him a fake ID- Lima bar guard’s kind of suck at their job for some reason- and they got in easily. Even though is card said he was twenty-six, and _kind of_  looked like Freddie Mercury. Yeah. Lima bar guards really do kind of suck at their job.  But whatever. They were here to have a good time. It’s not like their parents would care enough to stop them. Besides, they were responsible. They walked there (Lima is pretty small for a town.)

They found a booth that had a good view of the dance floor- which was pretty packed. Ryder had no idea that there were _this_ many gay/bi/lesbian people in Lima. Guess you’d never know unless you visited a gay bar.

Sebastian got them drinks- since Ryder didn’t know a single thing about them. He felt like such a newbie- worse than when he first came to glee. But he was having fun watching the dancers go crazy. Their drinks came and Sebastian held his up.

“Cheers.”

“To new beginnings.” Ryder smiled. They clinked their glasses.

“You’re such a sap.” Sebastian smirked.

“Shut up.” Ryder blushed, but smiled. They took a sip.

Ryder nearly gagged at the foul taste.

“Gah, what the hell is this? Are you trying to secretly poison me?” Ryder coughed as some of it went down the wrong way.

Sebastian laughed. “Well it’s tequila, vodka, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola. Long Island Iced Tea. Thought that’d be better than straight vodka or something.”

“It basically _is_ straight vodka! Are drinks usually this strong?”

Sebastian laughed again, totally _loving_ the fact that Ryder knows nothing when it comes to drinks. And basically anything bar-related. “Not _always_. There are sweeter ones. But they’re kind of girly so I got you something else.”

“What about me made you think that ‘hey, he’ll love straight alcohol instead of the sweet ones!’?”

“Must have been your personality.”

“My _sweet_ personality as you said?”

“Sometimes people like drinks that are the complete opposite.”

They talked for a while, and Sebastian answered whatever questions Ryder had about bars and drinks. Soon though they were interrupted by a familiar face.

“Sebastian, uh, hey.” Ryder recognized the voice belonging to Kurt Hummel, Blaine’s boyfriend. Apparently he was in town. Kurt eyed both of them curiously.

“Yo Kurt, the dance floor is calling me!” Santana emerged seemingly from nowhere and stood beside Kurt. “Meerkat.”

“Santana.” Sebastian said, though it wasn’t snarky. It was neutral. He was nervous though. Ryder could tell. Santana instantly locked eyes with Ryder and smirked.

“Aren’t you one of the newbies in New Directions? Oh I remember now. You’re the new Finn. You have that whole “I’m a giant clumsy puppy that can’t swim” thing happening when you dance.” Ryder blushed and suddenly felt exposed. He knew he wasn’t a great dancer- and that he was very _Finn-like_ , but… That still stung.

“Santana-” Kurt was cut off by a hand.

“Okay. I’ll admit. It doesn’t cause a chain reaction of disasters, it’s more like crash and burn on spot.”

Ryder blinked a couple of times. “Um…” he said numbly, not sure how to respond.

“Huh. You even have his dumb “I don’t get it” look he wears often. Weird.”

“Would you leave him alone?” Sebastian said. Even _that_ wasn’t snarky. Or harsh. It was just a question. Kurt looked at him oddly for a second, but it passed.

“Seriously Santana, we’re supposed to be role models for them. We’re not supposed to be making fun of them.” Kurt said with an eye roll.

“What? I’m not. I’m just telling him what _not_ to do. Basically, don’t be Finn.”

“You have an interesting way of doing that.” Sebastian said, taking a sip of his drink.

“Speaking of you-”

“We weren’t-” Kurt said.

“Since when are you two buddy-buddy with each other? Do the others even know? Ooh, is this a Romeo and Juliet? Is Jolly Green Giant Jr. secretly gay?” She was referring to Ryder’s green shirt. Ugh. So he liked green. Big deal. She then turned to Ryder. “Basically, what I am asking is- are you two f***ing, sucking face, or having a one night stand?” she finished slowly as if she were spelling it out for him. Ryder promptly blushed a bright red at the thought of him and Sebastian _doing it_ , and kept quiet.

“We’re _just friends_.” Sebastian said shortly as he sank a little lower in his seat. He wasn’t blushing, but Ryder knew he was embarrassed. Kurt eyed them suspiciously, as did Santana.

“Look, we’re just here for a good time just as you are.” Ryder said, a little more defensively than he meant. He really needs to work on that. Santana’s eyebrows raised up a tiny bit, but she didn’t say anything for a few seconds. It was like she was trying to read Ryder’s mind or something. Kurt was eyeing her suspiciously, just as Sebastian was. They shared a weird look as Santana finally- _finally_ looked away from Ryder. Ryder bit back a sigh.

“Whatever.” she said surprisingly casually. “Kurt, I hear two drinks calling us, come on.” Santana pulled Kurt towards the bar and Ryder lost sight of them in the crowd.

“That was weird even for Santana…” Sebastian said with a small frown.

“You okay?” Ryder asked, turning to him.

“Uh, yeah.”

They laughed when they ended up saying “thanks” at the same time.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” said a voice. Some guy- _a ridiculously hot guy_ \- (like his looks alone could put _Sam and Puck_ to shame. He’s no Chris Evans though,) came up beside Sebastian.

“Uh, nope.” Sebastian said, smiling widely at the guy. Ryder felt a tight pain in his chest. Huh. Weird. Ryder’s usually the one to make him smile like that… He instantly took notice of how the random guy only payed attention to Sebastian. Seriously. Just one glance his way, and that’s it. Is he that _obviously_ straight? Is that why? The random guy _flirtatiously_ put a hand on Sebastian’s arm. Uh-

_No_.

“I just came by to offer up a dance or two?” Random Guy asked Sebastian. Just. Sebastian. Not that he had issues with _that_. It’s just-

“Uh, sure!” Sebastian gave Ryder a quick smile, and he gave a forced one back, but the two were already heading towards the dance floor.

Ryder can dance.

Sort of.

Okay not really but he’s trying really hard. He likes to think that he _doesn’t_ look like a drowning puppy on stage. Surely someone (probably Tina, or Kitty,) would have mentioned it by _now_. Right?

But none of that’s the point because the point is- if Sebastian wanted to dance, he could have just asked him! Wait. Sebastian’s seen his dancing at the competitions. What if he didn’t ask _him_ because he really _does_ look like a drowning puppy on stage?

SHIT.

Along with the weird tight pain in his chest, there now was a tinge of sadness. His thoughts were interrupted by Santana as she quickly- and with an unneeded amount of fierceness- slid into the seat across from him.

“How do you feel right now?” she asked. Her expression was blank, but her voice was demanding. The usual really.

“How- what?” Ryder sputtered, confused. He glanced at Kurt who was now standing just behind Santana with a drink. Kurt was scouting out the dance floor though. This seemed to be more of a Santana thing, rather than Santana _and_ Kurt.

“Look at them. Huh,” Santana said looking at Sebastian and Random Guy dancing, “look at the way that dude’s hand is lowering towards the Meerkat’s butt. Oh, and better yet, look at the way they haven’t even _glanced_ this way.” Ryder _did_ , but didn’t see the point. In fact, he was suspicious of her.

“What are you-”

“How do you _feel_?”

“What are you _doing_?” Ryder finally managed to get out. Santana let out a very loud sigh. Ryder glanced at Sebastian- huh. He _still_ hadn’t looked over. The music must be really loud over there.

“Yeah. That tight pain in your chest? With the hint of sadness? You’re jealous.” Santana said promptly with a slight nod. Ryder merely blinked at her.

“Seriously, what are you doing?”

“I feel like it’s my job as a confident lesbian to help new gays or bisexuals find their inner person and come out of the freaking closet even if they themselves don’t even realize they're attracted to the same sex. Like you. You’re probably bisexual since you had the hots for that Marley chick a few months ago right?”

“Wh- uh, well yeah, but I-I’m not-” Ryder blushed and glanced over at Sebastian. Random Guy’s hands were pretty _low_ on Sebastian’s waist. He tried to ignore the fact that the feelings in his chest grew worse.

“Pretty sure you are. Okay yeah, I may have payed that guy to hit on Smythe, but he’s still gay. Plus he even _said_ that he’s attracted to Smythe. The money was just an added bonus really. So. On a scale of one to ten, ten being the biggest amount, how jealous are you?”

“I’m not jealous!” Ryder snapped. He didn’t know where this anger came from. But it was here now, and he had to stay calm or he’ll do something stupid. His hands clenched into fists underneath the table.

“Hm. I’d say an eight. Ugh, why must people be totally oblivious?”

“Can you just-”

“Ooh.” Santana’s “ooh” was a reaction to the fact that-

Random Guy was now _kissing_ Sebastian.

Like, full on kissing.

Not even closed mouth kissing, it was like, straight up making out!

“So... that escalated quickly… But we _do_ only have so much time-” Santana said.

"What?"

"Nothing, forget it."

Sebastian's new- _thing_  wasn’t the only thing that progressed quickly.

Suddenly it was like Ryder had been running faster than the speed of light and smacked right into a brick wall. The anger disappeared, but it was replaced by sadness and a bit of fear.

He _was_ jealous.

SHIT!

“ _There_ it is.” Santana said. She was _not_ helping.

“No, no, no, no- I can’t- This- this will _ruin everything_! I can’t- Where’d they go? I can’t lose him! _Help me please_!” Ryder said desperately. Somewhere along the line, Sebastian and Random Guy had left. He gave Santana the saddest puppy dog eyes he could muster up. Which, wasn’t hard to be honest.

The sadness and fear was now just panic.

“Okay, okay, it’s time for me to take over this carriage and get it back on the road.” Kurt said and slid into the booth beside Santana. She passed invisible reigns to him, which he took with ease. “Okay. First off, breathe. In, out, in, out.” Ryder did as he was told, but he was still tense. “It’ll be okay. This happens literally all of the time.” Ryder blinked.

“This… exact thing?”

“Well- Various versions, but still the same scenario.” Kurt shrugged. “The best way to handle it, is to tell him how you feel. I know it’s scary,” Ryder was about to protest the idea, “but you _can’t_ keep it bottled up. That’ll only make it worse, trust me. And who knows, maybe he’ll lose that guy and go out with you instead.”

“Lose _that guy_? Have you _looked_ at that guy? He’s like a smaller Captain America, and according to the school I’m a knock off Justin Bieber with bad dancing!”

“Hm…” Kurt frowned. “That… might be true but- BUT,” Ryder’s eyes had widened to the size of saucers, “according to the glee club, you’re one of the sweetest personalities in there. That alone trumps whatever that guy has. And-”

Ryder’s phone buzzed and he opened up a text from Sebastian.

 

**Bassy: Uh, hey. Look, I’m really, _really_ sorry but Josh asked me out on a date? And um, I said yes. So… well… I’m really sorry we’re going out for dinner!**

 

Well… that…

Ryder now hated the name “Josh” by default.

“What? Is it Sebastian? What’d he say?” Kurt asked in concern.

“Um… they- they have a date. Date. Tonight. Dinner. Date. Dating. They’re dating…” Ryder said very robotically, as he slumped down into his seat.

“Ah…” Kurt said. He and Santana exchanged a look but Ryder stared at his phone. He kept reading the message over and over. Eventually a headache started forming so he had to stop.

“Um… well that’s okay. _One_ date doesn’t mean anything. They could go on the date and nothing will happen afterwards.” Kurt said.

“ _Or_ they could end up dating. For years. Then get married and adopt children and-”

“That’s getting a bit ahead there…” Kurt said with a frown. This was obviously not going according to plan.

“Obviously it’s time for Blaine now.” Blaine appeared- seemingly from nowhere, but the other two could have easily been texting him the whole time- and squeezed in between Kurt and Santana. He snagged the invisible reigns from Kurt.

“I have to text back what do I say?” Ryder asked quickly. Blaine grabbed the phone from him, but before he could start texting, Ryder snatched it back. Blaine gave him a curious look. “Uh, sorry. I’m dyslexic so I make certain mistakes. He’d know it wasn’t from me.” Ryder blushed lightly and looked down at his phone.

“Oh, right. Uh, just tell him to have fun for now, and that you’re hanging out with us.” Blaine said. Ryder quickly sent the message.

 

**Ryder: Cool, have fun. Kurt, Santana and Blaine joined me so we’re good. :)**

 

Hm. On second thought… Ryder erased the smiley face and just sent the message. The smiley face was a lie. Okay, technically so was the “we’re good” part, but well… he had to say _something_ and _not_ make it sound like he was a jealous idiot.

 

**Bassy: Thanks! Again, I’m _sooo_ sorry for leaving you like that!**

 

**Ryder: Dude, it’s cool. Just have fun already!**

 

Ugh! Why’d he say “have fun”?! That was like saying, “go have sex”. UGH!

“So, what’d you say?” Blaine asked. Ryder sighed.

“To go have fun?”

“That’s like saying go have sex!” Santana said with an eye roll.

“I know that _now_!” Ryder slammed his head on the table. This sucked.

“Don’t panic. He probably didn’t take it as “go have sex”. He pro-”

Ryder lifted his head and glared at Blaine. “This is _Sebastian_.” He said slowly, slightly irritated. But he wasn’t mad at Blaine. He was mad at himself.

“Ah. Yeah. Right…”

An awkward silence fell upon them as Ryder’s head fell back onto the table.

“Maybe it’s not that bad!” Kurt said suddenly, though he regretted that. He looked to the other two for help, but they merely shrugged. He _really_ regretted it when Ryder looked up at him with those big sad puppy eyes. The poor boy wasn’t even _trying_ to do that. “Uh… like, it’s still early. Maybe if you tell him he’ll dump what’s his name and go for you.”

“Or I’ll scare him away and he’ll just go to what’s his name.” Ryder knew his name. He hated that name though. He was going around in circles, he knew that too. He _also_ knew that the others were _wrong_ and that there are technically _two_ options he could choose from.

 

One- tell Sebastian how he feels. In which Ryder will either end up A- scaring him away, or B- actually getting him as a boyfriend.

 

Two- keeping his feelings a secret and seeing how the fricking first date went and play it by year. The results of that being either A- Sebastian will decide to dump _Josh_ (ugh, _Josh_ ,) and Ryder can confess to him (which will either result in A or B of number one,) OR the date would be a success and they’ll date forever and leave him to die alone in the dust with a bunch of cats.

Or you know, for a few years, then marry, and leave him to die alone in the dust with a bunch of cats.

Which, Ryder has decided would be _excruciating_ for him. Yes, he knew the logical answer for this.

But-

“Ryder, what are you thinking? You know that the right decision in this situation is to-” Ryder interrupted Blaine.

“I _know_ , but I can’t! They’re on a _date_ - _right now_. I just don’t think I can be that guy that ruins a first date because he’s jealous. I just… I _can’t_. I have to see how the date went before I do anything.”

“Wait, how’s Sebastian getting home?” Blaine asked noticing the empty glass that once contained alcohol.

“Uh, he’s staying at my place for the weekend…” Ryder mumbled.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, what if the date goes well and they keep seeing each other?”

“I’ll just have to deal with it.”

“Again- are you sure?”

Ryder hesitated. “Yeah… There’s only one day left before he goes home I can manage that.” _I think_.

The other three seemed unsure. “Well… okay. Here, give me your phone.” Blaine said and held out his hand. Ryder passed it to him. “Okay. I’m adding our numbers so we can help you out. But I’m sure you guys were brought together for a reason, it has to work out somehow.”

Ryder held back a sigh.

For the rest of the evening, he stayed with the three older New Direction members and received some advice and tips. At about eleven o’clock though he decided to call it a night. He didn’t know how late the others were going to stay out, but he wasn’t feeling it anymore. It just wasn’t the same without Sebastian.

Once he was home he decided to finish some homework. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep anyway, so why not? Plus, it’s a way to distract him.

***

It didn’t distract him.

Well, he _did_ do the homework, he just… couldn’t take the fact that it was two-twenty-three AM and Sebastian _still_ wasn’t back yet.

It’s not like they had a freaking _curfew._ It’s just nice to know what’s happening, where he’s at, _how the date went_ … That kind of thing. Ryder sighed. He got up from the kitchen table and grabbed a bag of chips that was lying on the counter. It wasn’t ice cream- he ran out on Friday- but it would have to do. He sat back down and reached out for his phone.

Still no text from Sebastian either.

_Ugh_. This is the worst!

Why did this have to happen? Why did Sebastian have to get with another guy in order for Ryder to realize his feelings for him? And what about their Christmas plans?! Was Sebastian going to go hang out with _that guy_ instead of him? Ryder didn’t even know what to get him for Christmas! Okay, he had an idea, but well… it was the kind of gift one would give to their _special someone_ \- Ugh.

Ryder brought up the text app on his phone- but instantly put it face down on the table.

_Damn it Ryder, you need to stop. You’re acting like an obsessive jealous person!_

He IS a- well, he’s not _obsessive_ \- but he’s sure damn jealous. Why does true love have to suck so much?

Wait.

True love?

SHIT.

Ryder slammed his head down on the table.

That… that didn’t _mean_ anything! It was just his tired jealous brain talking. He’s not _in love_ with Sebastian. Right? Right. He’s _not_ in love with him. It’s just a big stupid crush that will hopefully go away. His crush on Marley went away after a while. It could be the same with Sebastian. Yeah. It’ll just go away.

_But you bonded way more with Sebastian than ANY of the glee club members,_ including _, Marley._

Shut up, that doesn’t mean anything. Well, it’s special, but it’s not like it’s _meant to be_ right?

_Even_ you _know better than that Ryder._

Ryder lifted his head up. He’s ignoring that. And whatever else his conscience has to say about this situation. Normally, he would listen but he hears voices at the door so, you know. That’s blocking it right now.

_That’s a stupid decision Ryder. You can’t just listen in, you’re horrible at improvising-_

“I had a great time tonight.” SEBASTIAN!

_Ugh_.

Ryder sat up straight and tried to make it look like he was still doing his homework. He glared at the door though. _That guy_ said something he couldn’t hear, and Sebastian laughed. _No_ , HE always made Sebastian laugh! Not that guy! Now there’s silence, and Ryder can only think of one thing-

They’re _kissing_.

Ryder’s pencil snapped in his hand.

Oops…

The door opened and he quickly hid the broken pencil and took out a new one. “Oh, Ryder, hey. Didn’t think you’d still be up.” Sebastian said, glancing at the work laid out on the table.

“Uh, yeah homework, you know…” Ryder said a little too quickly. Sebastian didn’t respond at first, but appeared to be studying him. _He sees right through you, you idiot._

No he doesn’t.

“Are you okay?” Sebastian asked with a small frown.

Shit!

“Yeah. Just tired I guess. Uh, how’d the date go?” _Yeah, that didn’t seem suspicious._

Shut up.

“Uh, good, we’re going out again next Friday. Are you sure you’re okay? You… know I know when you’re lying?” Sebastian said worriedly. He moved a little closer but Ryder stood up. _Better think of something good like-_

“Uh, yeah um- I should probably go to bed since I’m tired and all, uh, good night.” Ryder dropped his pencil and left the work on the table. He tried his best to not run up the stairs, and left a worried and confused Sebastian behind.

_Well, not like_ that _, but guess that’ll have to do for now…_

He didn’t let himself relax until he was behind the closed door of his bedroom. He sighed quietly and slid down to the floor.

They’re going out again next Friday.

The first date was successful. They’re going out again. THEY ARE DATING. “F***!” Ryder whispered and took out his phone. He was about to text Blaine, but he remembered that it was past almost three o’clock in the morning. He’s probably asleep. Ryder doesn’t really want to be _that guy_ either. It was only four hours until seven. But then, it _was_ … _is_ … Sunday. It might be suspicious if Ryder was suddenly up _early_ for once. He usually sleeps in until at least ten. Because getting up earlier than you have to is just ridiculous. He wasn’t sure about Blaine’s weekend schedule though… Plus Kurt was in town so that could mean anything. But… Ryder could wait. He wasn’t sure how patient he would be, but he could wait. He had to wait. Besides- Ryder looked at the “bed” Sebastian had been using when he came over (it was just a spare mattress he’d brought one weekend and a sleeping bag,) - he had to at least _pretend_ to be sleeping. Maybe he actually could sleep.

NOT.

He’ll probably be awake all night secretly staring at his phone. Ugh. It’s just like him to fall for someone within a week. But they just… _connected_. That only happened in movies and fiction as far as he was aware. He hadn’t heard of it in real life. Okay. He hadn’t heard of it in Ohio. But… well… it had to mean something, right?

Right?

_Just go to bed. You need rest anyway. Then text Blaine at a DECENT time in the morning and just… hope?_

Ryder sighed. But he decided to go to bed. His conscience was right, he needed rest. Maybe things will be better tomorrow? Maybe Sebastian will change his mind about the date. It’s not until Friday, there’s still time.

_Yeah, literally anything can happen within a week!_

With that thought in mind, he turned the lights off and slid underneath the bed sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one had a much better ending than the last chapter. Also apparently Ryder's brain and conscience argue quite a bit when it comes to decision making. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are welcome!  
> And happy holidays!  
> :D


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